Round Rock Symphony to team with Ballet Folklorico for holiday show

The Round Rock Symphony wants to wish the community a merry Christmas this season with its annual holiday concert — with a Latin twist.

Round Rock Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi Los Tigres from Stony Point High School will join the symphony during the “¡Feliz Navidad! A Celebration of Season and Culture” concert from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Round Rock school district Performing Arts Center.

This is the first time the Round Rock Symphony has performed with Round Rock Ballet Folklorico.

The symphony will perform traditional Christmas classics as well as some traditional Mexican songs, said Brett Kroening, executive director of the Round Rock Symphony.

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Mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa and guitarist Arnold Yzagguire, will also be featured in the concert.

The ballet folklorico will perform three dances during the concert. One song, “El Tranchete,” will be with the Round Rock Symphony and two songs, “El Jarabe Tapatio” and “El Son De La Negra,” will be with Mariachi Los Tigres from Stony Point High School.

For the past two years, the symphony has collaborated with the Round Rock Community Choir for the symphony’s Christmas concert, Kroening said.

This year the symphony will perform with the choir in April, but still wanted a Round Rock arts group to be a part of the holiday show. That led to Round Rock Ballet Folklorico and the Stony Point mariachi band becoming part of the show.

Yolanda Sanchez, founder and director of Round Rock Ballet Folklorico and also a Round Rock Symphony board member, said the dance company has performed with a small group from The Austin Symphony Orchestra before and is now excited to collaborate with their hometown symphony.

“I take great pride in being able to reach out to all audiences because we’re all together, we are all one in the arts,” she said. “This is one of the only things that brings everybody together.”

The inclusion of the ballet folklorico in this year’s symphony Christmas concert will be like “putting a flower in your hair, something beautiful,” Sanchez said.

“The arts and music — it all blends (cultures) all in together, and then Mexican folk dance reinforces it because we have many influences from so many different countries,” Sanchez said.

She said audiences can look forward to a great cultural celebration. “They are going to love it,” Sanchez said.

Tickets to the performance can be purchased online in advance or at the door.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students with a student ID and free for ages 5 and under.